Edinburgh (TAN): A young woman and owner of a small gift shop in Hebrides, Eilidh Carr, has won the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award at Scotland’s first ever Young Women in Tourism Awards.
Coralbox Gift Shop, established in 2015, is located in Berneray in Scotland’s North Uist. Carr has been running the shop on the island since she was 22.
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Now 26, and a trained photographer, Eilidh moved back to Berneray after completing her studies to open a shop that sells crafts such as coasters and mugs printed with photographs of Hebrides taken by her. She uses her own printers and heat presses to print her products.
The idea of the shop came to her after she noticed there was a dearth in availability of local photography and merchandise in the market. She started by printing products with her snaps on them and taking them to craft fairs and shows around the islands.
With demand for her fare on the rise, Eilidh transformed a double-berth caravan into the store, so that she could showcase her items to locals and tourists alike. Meanwhile, her father worked on a wooden structure, her present shop, from where she now runs Coralbox.
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“Tourism is one of the most important industries in both the Hebrides and in Scotland. We all need to work hard together to keep it alive and growing. My younger generation will work to keep people visiting the country to both cities and rural locations,” Carr was quoted by a media report as saying.
Coralbox represents passion for photography and determination, as the venture never received any public funding during its entire tenure. Moreover, it supports over 25 local artists and businesses, a report said. it enables Eilidh to not just work and live in her native town but also to give back to the community.
She added: “This will increase revenue to the areas and allow business across the sector to continue to grow from this. And for young people like me, it is a dream to be able to live and work back in the rural community I grew up in.
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Eilidh will be a member of Glasgow-based Entrepreneurial Scotland, the sponsor of the award, for a year. The organisation will help her take her business forward.
Women under 30 working in the tourism industry in Scotland are eligible for the awards.
